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USAF F-16 with a KC-30A
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Khafee

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Royal Australian Navy Decommissions Frigate HMAS Melbourne
October 26, 2019

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The Royal Australian Navy has decommissioned its Adelaide class guided missile frigate, HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05) after 27 years of service during a ceremony at her home port at Fleet Base East, Garden Island in Sydney.

The 138-meter long frigate is the last remaining of six Adelaide class vessels built for the Navy.

Melbourne’s final Commanding Officer, Commander Marcus Buttler said his ship’s company was honored to be the last crew to serve in Melbourne and pleased the occasion could be shared with many former ship’s company, who attended the decommissioning ceremony.

Since commissioning in 1992, HMAS Melbourne had steamed more than 900,000 nautical miles, deployed on operations to the Middle East eight times and earning battle honors for service in East Timor, the Persian Gulf, and the Middle East.

She spent most of 2018 and 2019 deployed overseas, including a four-month deployment through north Asia earlier this year where she conducted international maritime surveillance operations to enforce sanctions against North Korea.
 

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U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Australia Partner to Improve Range and Accuracy of M777A2 Howitzer
October 26, 2019
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The U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and Australian Defence Force (ADF) have partnered to increase the range and accuracy of M777A2 howitzer, under an effort termed as Long Range Cannon (LRC) project.

The genesis of the Long Range Cannon project was the M777 Extended Range (ER) Howitzer project, a 2014 prototyping initiative to significantly extend the range of the currently fielded M777A2 variant. That effort involved the incorporation of a longer cannon tube for extended-range firing; a more efficient muzzle brake to minimize blast overpressure on the gun crew; a reinforced recoil yoke for higher firing loads; longer road arms to compensate for the increased tube length; an upgraded recoil system for extended-range charges; and upgrades to the balancer system. In all, no structural changes are needed, as all of these are bolt-on assemblies. Dubbed the ER Kit, the prototype components can quickly be retrofitted onto existing howitzers.

In 2018, Army leadership prioritized the M777ER for acceleration and expanded the scope of the effort by adding the condition of improved accuracy at extended ranges. That, in turn, called for a new name-the Long Range Cannon. To achieve the dual goals of expanded range and improved accuracy as expeditiously and cost-effectively as possible, the Long Range Cannon team hopes to maximize the use of existing resources and leverage several technologies already in development.

Through a system-of-systems approach, the Long Range Cannon program integrates the M777ER with several high-potential, extended range and GPS-degraded or -denied artillery technologies, including the Location and Azimuth Determining System for more secure and accurate survey control and target acquisition; a projectile tracking system for improving impact accuracy; and a high-explosive, rocket-assisted projectile along with a supercharged propellant to achieve the desired maximum ranges.

The team plans to use the extended range armament to modernize the current weapon-ammunition interface, in an effort to further increase the maximum effective range that the M777ER can achieve. The information resulting from the interface modernization will also provide early data points for the Army’s emerging Mobile Howitzer program.
 

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Boeing presents first Loyal Wingman drone aircraft to Australia
May 5, 2020
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Boeing Australia has built the first of three Loyal Wingman prototype aircraft, which will serve as the foundation for the Boeing Airpower Teaming System being developed for the global defense market. Photo courtesy of Boeing


May 5 (UPI) -- Boeing announced Tuesday it has presented its first unmanned aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force.

The Loyal Wingman is the first aircraft to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years, and is the company's largest investment in a drone outside of the United States, according to the company.

"This is a truly historic moment for our country and for Australian defence innovation," Australian prime minister Scott Morrison said in a statement. "The Loyal Wingman will be pivotal to exploring the critical capabilities our Air Force needs to protect our nation and its allies into the future."

The aircraft uses artificial intelligence to extend the capabilities of manned and unmanned platforms, and will serve as the foundation for the Boeing Airpower Teaming System being developed for the global defense market.

Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld, chief of the Royal Australian Air Force, called the rollout "an excellent example of innovation through collaboration and what can be achieved working together" with the defense industry.

"I look forward to exploring the capabilities this aircraft may bring to our existing fleet in the future," Hupfeld said.

The Loyal Wingman prototype will now move into ground testing, with the taxi and first flight planned for later this year.
 

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Apache takes aim at Australian attack helicopter deal

By Greg Waldron
15 September 2020

Boeing has outlined key selling points for its AH-64E Apache offering in Australia’s Project Land 4503 requirement for 29 armed reconnaissance helicopters.

During a virtual media tour, TJ Jamison, Boeing’s director of vertical lift for international sales, discussed the capabilities of the AH-64E. The company also provided a cockpit demonstration about how the Apache identifies and engages targets, as well as a virtual tour of its Mesa, Arizona production facility.
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Source: Greg Waldron/FlightGlobal
Boeing transported a US Army AH-64E Apache to the Avalon Airshow in March 2017

The Land 4503 acquisition will see the Australian army replace its 22 Airbus Helicopters Tigers with a new rotorcraft. The deal has also attracted strong interest from Bell with the AH-1Z Zulu and incumbent Airbus Helicopters, which has said it can take the Tiger platform “beyond 2040”, and save Australian taxpayers a claimed A$3 billion ($2.2 billion).

At the outset of the Boeing briefing, Jamison was quick to address the issue of ‘marinisation’, or how well the Apache can operate from ships amid salty littoral conditions. Canberra has stressed that the helicopter it chooses must be capable of operating from ships, such as the amphibious assault vessels HMAS Adelaide and Canberra.

Jamison notes that the UK has had extensive experience operating its Apaches from vessels at sea, and that this has generated learnings about such things as freshwater cleaning procedures. The Apache’s rotors can also be manually folded for shipboard storage.

Bell, one of Boeing’s rivals in the Australian competition, has consistently trumpeted the maritime capabilities of the AH-1Z. The US Marine Corps routinely deploys the type aboard its amphibious assault ships.

The Australian army has also embarked Tigers aboard naval vessels. This included a 2019 deployment that saw four of the type deployed aboard Canberra as part of a special voyage through Southeast Asia.

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Source: UK Royal Navy
British Army Apaches aboard HMS Ocean in 2016. Boeing notes that the UK has extensive experience operating the type at sea


He also stresses that the AH-64E’s Block 6 hardware and software update includes an advanced maritime capability for the helicopter’s Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman APG-78 Longbow fire control radar, allowing it to detect and classify contacts at sea.

The APG-78, originally designed to detect tanks and other vehicles, should ideally equip one out of three Apaches, he says, as an Apache with the radar set can share contact data with other Apaches and platforms.

Other benefits of the Apache, according to Jamison, are interoperability with a broad number of allies who operate the type, cost certainty under the US government’s Foreign Military Sales process, and a long upgrade roadmap stemming from the US Army’s plans to operate the type until at least 2060.

Canberra is expected to release a request for tender related to its Land 4503 requirement in 2021.
 

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Australian Army Starts Training on New Boxer 8×8 Vehicles​

  • October 6, 2020
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The Australian Army has commenced training on the new Boxer 8x8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV) which are being delivered under the Morrison Government’s LAND 400 Phase 2 program.

The 211 new Boxer 8x8 CRVs will replace Army’s Australian Light Armoured Vehicles.

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“These vehicles will provide our soldiers with increased protection, lethality, connectivity and mobility for the next 30 years,” Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said.

In 2018, Australia has awarded $2.4 billion (€2.1 billion) contract to Rheinmetall to procure 211 Boxer vehicles. The Army will introduce several variants of the Boxer with the reconnaissance variant – accounting for 133 of the 211 vehicles – equipped with Rheinmetall’s Lance turret system and armed with a 30mm automatic cannon.
 

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Australia to Accelerate creation of Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise

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Royal Australian Navy picture

The Australian Government will accelerate the creation of a $1 billion Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise, boosting skilled jobs and helping secure Australia’s sovereign defence capabilities.

Australia’s Department of Defence will now select a strategic industry partner to operate a sovereign guided weapons manufacturing capability on behalf of the Government as a key part of the new Enterprise.

The new Enterprise will support missile and guided weapons manufacturing for use across the Australian Defence Force.

“Creating our own sovereign capability on Australian soil is essential to keep Australians safe, while also providing thousands of local jobs in businesses right across the defence supply chain. As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, having the ability for self-reliance, be it vaccine development or the defence of Australia, is vital to meeting our own requirements in a changing global environment. It’s an imperative we now proceed with the creation of a sovereign guided weapons capability as a priority, accelerating this process following the idea first being explored in the Force Structure Plan […] We will work closely with the United States on this important initiative to ensure that we understand how our enterprise can best support both Australia’s needs and the growing needs of our most important military partner.”


Prime Minister Scott Morrison
 

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Australia sends equipment to military exercises Super Garuda Shield 2023. For the first time since the Vietnam War, Australia sent tanks and armored vehicles abroad to the joint military exercises Super Garuda Shield 2023 with the United States in Indonesia. As reported, the equipment will be involved in the exercises next week. The exercises in Indonesia will be held from 31 August to 13 September. They will be attended by 125 troops from Australia, M1A1 tanks, armored personnel carriers, trucks and tow trucks. The exercise will allow the Australian armed forces to conduct training and work out interaction with partner countries to effectively deploy significant ground forces, including armored vehicles, across the Indo-Pacific region.

 
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